someone in charge of the foundation, it rarely leads to the potential success the foundation could have. Just like only trained professional teachers should be in the classroom, trained professional fund raisers should be running the foundation. What Does it Take to Get Started? Interestingly, when starting an education foundation from scratch the most important success factor is the district’s leadership — school board and superintendent. There must be a commitment to engaging the community, not just providing a laundry list of needs. This means a willingness to communicate the needs of the education community, but just as importantly, to listen to the community’s thoughts and views. Many well intended efforts have failed because there has not been a match between the district’s needs and community’s willingness to support. Having been in hundreds of meetings with potential donors, it’s become obvious that they don’t want to be considered simply
a source of money. They want to be part of a solution for a problem, which they feel strongly about. When there is that magic intersection of the district’s needs and the donor’s desire to solve that problem there is often generous support. Certainly other pieces of the puzzle must fall into place, such as the proper non-profit structure, the right volunteer foundation board members, appropriate programming, and a visionary strategic plan for the foundation. If a skilled non-profit professional leads the foundation, they can put these pieces together with proper assistance. Is There Help Available? The National School Foundations Association (NSFA) was founded 10 years ago to help the creation and development of local education foundations. It is also a non-profit and is committed to helping raise the entire industry through support of local education foundations. NSFA does this through training of foundation
school FUNDRAIsING EVENTs Plan your nExt EvEnt at ChuCk E. ChEEsE's and rECEivE: • 15% donation to your school for all sales generated by your participating friends and family members. This includes all food, merchandise, and token deals on the night of your fundraising event. • Materials to promote the event • A 10-free-token sticker for each child enrolled • A visit from Chuck E. at your school on the day of the event • A free meal for teachers in attendance
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leadership, sharing and publication of best practices and its Certified Education Foundation Leader Program. A foundation executive director who has completed this certification program has the expertise necessary to successfully lead an education foundation. Hundreds of foundation leaders (staff and board) have benefited from training provided through regional workshops, webinars, national conferences, and individualized training sessions. Fellow foundation leaders are often the source of the best ideas on how to more effectively bring in private resources to help local schools and districts. NSFA provides many opportunities for sharing of best practices and networking amongst professionals in the field. More information on NSFA, its training opportunities and membership benefits can be found at www.schoolfoundations.org. Bill Hoffman is Chairman of the National School Foundation Association, Inc.